Morning Report for Friday 17 April 2020

6:08 AM.ACT Leader David Seymour is questioning why the the retail sector will still face such heavy restrictions under Alert Level 3.

The government has outlined what businesses and the public can expect… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.Courier drivers could be a lot busier next week if the country moves to level three.

The Prime Minister yesterday revealed details of what life would look like at Alert Level 3, including a total… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.Around three quarters of the people seeking welfare support in the Queenstown Lakes district are migrant workers and foreign nationals.

The Emergency Operations Centre led by the Queenstown Lakes… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.A brief update from the business sector. Read more Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Read more Audio

6:38 AM.Principals are worried a partial reopening of schools under Alert Level 3 will be hard to manage and create too much work for their teachers.

The government says people who return to work when the… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Blood tests are the next step in tracking Covid-19 throughout the community.

While that technology isn't available yet - it is key to identifying people who have had the disease without knowing it.

… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.Some patients are waiting days to have their prescriptions filled, as many community pharmacies struggle to meet demand during lockdown.

Pharmacists warn people with non-Covid related health problems… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.The number of official complaints about the government's wage subsidy scheme have skyrocketed, with 800 laid in the space of just nine days.

The Labour Inspectorate says nine involve fraud, a number… Read more Audio

6:53 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Businesses are frantically trying to work out how they will operate under Alert Level 3 restrictions.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that some firms can start back to work when the lower… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that some firms can start back to work when Alert Level 3 is enacted, but only if they can keep people safe.

The actual decision about whether to move down… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.Principals are warning the government's plans to partially reopen schools at Alert Level 3 could be a shambles.

Early childhood centres and schools will reopen for children up to Year 10 whose… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.Blood testing is the next step for keeping track of Covid-19 but New Zealand doesn't yet have a test that is up to the job.

Around the world, mass testing is starting to happen to see if people have… Read more Audio

7:33 AM.Insurance companies will save about $100 million on payouts for motor vehicles alone during the lockdown, given the dramatic drop in driving during the pandemic.

Consumer New Zealand is now urging… Read more Audio

7:38 AM.Insurance companies are saving millions of dollars during the pandemic as the number of motor vehicle accidents falls with drivers stuck at home.

Overseas companies are dropping premiums to reflect… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.Elite rugby players will take a pay cut as the country's biggest game prepares to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

New Zealand Rugby and the NZ Rugby Players Association have agreed half of their… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.A 99-year-old British war veteran has raised a staggering £13 million or NZ$27 million for NHS staff after reaching his goal of walking 100 laps of his garden.

Captain Tom Moore had hoped to achieve… Read more Audio

8:09 AM.The focus will still be on keeping contact with others to the bare minimum once the country moves to Alert Level 3, but some restrictions around travel, business and activites will be loosened.

… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.The focus will still be on keeping contact with others to the bare minimum once the country moves to Alert Level 3, but some restrictions around travel, business and activites will be loosened.

… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Forestry will be restarting once we reach Alert Level 3, good news for an industry that began to feel the affects of the global pandemic weeks before the rest of New Zealand went into lockdown.

Prue… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.The Prime Minister has announced that once we are in Alert Level 3 children should stay at home in their bubbles where possible, but families can decide to send children back to schools and early… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.The focus will still be on keeping contact with others to the bare minimum once the country moves to Alert Level 3, but some restrictions around travel, business and activites will be loosened.

Most… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.The focus will still be on keeping contact with others to the bare minimum once the country moves to Alert Level 3, but some restrictions around travel, business and activities will be loosened.

… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

8:36 AM.Ticket holders for live events indefinitely postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic are frustrated that they can't get a refund.

The Commerce Commission has issued guidelines after fielding complaints… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.A stoush over the planned felling of native trees on Ōwairaka/Mt Albert has taken a new turn. 

Graffiti has been sprayed on public toilets in the area saying claims made about local protesters… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.While most of us have been queuing, sometimes for hours, to get into the supermarket during the lockdown, one Wellington man hasn't had to go once.

Richard Hovey says he has about six months worth of… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Scrolling through social media is one way to use up a few hours during lockdown, but are celebrities sharing their thoughts on Covid-19 relevant in the time of crises?

The thoughts of the famous are… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.It's Friday so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Read more Audio